The other night, while listening to a Christian radio station in my car, a DJ was talking about Google’s Ngram viewer. Google’s Ngram viewer has digitized data from over 15 million works of literature. The DJ made an intriguing insight. He took the position that words communicate culture. His logic was that changes in culture can be seen by both the emergence and frequency of words used over various time periods. If we believe the adage that we tend to speak about those things which occupy our thoughts, wouldn’t that apply to what we write as well? Most likely, right? Continue reading →

The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:2-6).

I was raised in a devout, Roman-Catholic household. My family always sat in the first couple rows of pews every Sunday morning. We even attended holy days of obligation.

My parents also fostered a commitment to church service. Starting young—I think that I was eight—I joined the choir. I was its youngest member. A few years later, I became an altar boy. I served as an altar boy through high school, until leaving for college… Continue reading →

And [Jesus] said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:25-27).

Working in higher education, I constantly encounter students with grandiose aspirations. They are young, their careers are still in front of them, and they often envision—as they see it—the most idealistic career circumstances possible. Many want to hold leadership positions that are highly visible and possess substantial power. They desire to become CEOs, political leaders, leading-edge researchers, Nobel prize winning scientists, hall-of-fame athletes, etc. In other words, their aspirations often align with a secular (i.e. worldly) perspective of success and influence. Continue reading →